[PRP] We Are Golden (Mananakbo and Abhishri) fin

[Princess_Feylin]

Most of the time, when he was not occupied with some task for the boss lady, Mana explored. He liked to push his awareness of the land as far afield as he could manage, though it came with some risks. For instance, he could be out exploring and Nyoka might want him with her. Finding him and fetching him could take time that she would not like wasting. On those days when he thought it likely she would want to see him, he tried to stay closer to the main area of the pride, but then he paced with nervous energy.

Today he was compromising, working through the boredom of inactivity by running. Nothing made Mana happier than to run as fast and as far as he could, and he was good at it. Without exaggerating, Mana was confident that he could claim to have more stamina and speed than just about any other cheetah in the pride. Possibly he was the fastest and longest-winded. It wasn't as though they held races, but by his reckoning it was a distinct possibility.

While he ran, Mana reviewed recent events.

Bugie had been out and he'd returned with a recruit. The regularity with which the leopard accomplished this task made Mana feel more than a little inadequate, even though he knew recruitment was not his job. The problem was that his job was a fairly vague, nebulous thing which was best described as "whatever Nyoka wanted."

He didn't mind that, but since he had no on-going assigned duties except to report to Nyoka he was frequently at a loss for what to do with himself. Maybe he should take it upon himself to get to know this cheetah Bugie had brought back. He'd not yet met her, and it was part of his duties, he was relatively certain, to know everyone in the pride. How else was he to know the context of everything he overheard?

Pleased with his decision, Mana slowed his pace and went through the absolutely necessary process of cooling down before he returned to the pride. He knew it was bad to just stop running and become inactive. It would make his muscles hurt badly, he'd learned long, long ago in another pride. Once he was in the correct state to go through normal actions he set off for the pride proper, knowing that it wouldn't be much of a challenge to find this new cheetah if he put his mind to it.  

[Feral Mule]

[She is part of the pride, I just haven't finished her JRP yet, with Bugie, and yeah.. >>]

Unlike the male cheetah, the female didn't hurry much at all. As she walked through the pride with her head held high, she made her movements delicate and obviously carefully measured. Like any good Geisha, one didn't hurry in public, they glided. Even if she was running late, Abhi couldn't let herself be caught running or ruining her mysterious image. Blue eyes looked this way and that through the now familiar pride.

Bugie, who she held some kind of connection with, had brought her back to this pride to entertain others with her stories and her dancing. She could do both so elegantly, and without trying. But, she didn't stand out, she was working her way up to be Currency. Too bad she was only an Entertainer. Still, practice made perfect, right? So she practiced every chance she got. Abhi would stop others in the middle of whatever they were doing to tell a story or a joke.

Then, very rarely, she got stopped and asked to come along with a group of cheetahs to keep them entertained as they did... whatever it was they were doing. Sometimes, it was just cuddling, sometimes it was just to lend an ear, or cheer someone up. Still, she wanted very much to become a Geisha; she would do anything for it.

She stopped in walking and stretched out her back legs; which were cramping up. Abhi had just sat for hours listening to stories, telling them and keeping them company while a group of males ate around a big meal. It wasn't that she minded, it was just that... she was in pain doing it! All because she was new to this type of thing.  

[Princess_Feylin]

It wasn't difficult to spot the entertainer. Mana spent enough time with the pride's entertainers that he had learned to recognize the way they walked - at least the better ones. That gait with their head held high and their legs taking deliberate strides. Some of them took exaggeratedly long steps so that they would sway with their steps, but there were others whose steps seemed almost like they had been hobbled, creating a different kind of motion that was equally appealing to watch. Mana was a great one for appreciating the female form.

As he watched, the blue-eyed cheetah paused and stretched her back legs. It was something he'd seen females do deliberately to attract a male's attention. Certainly it was effective. How could a person watch the tightly-wound tension and release of a good stretch and not think of the similarities between that and the tense anticipation and climax which occurred during sex? It was probably one of the most stimulating things a person could do, in Mana's opinion.

He checked his thoughts and placed them aside for the time being. There were entertainers and entertainers. It was possible that she was not the sort of entertainer who used her body for more than decoration, and even if she was, he was still not quite comfortable with that sort of relationship. It would be better to meet her on casual terms and get to know her. That was how Mana preferred to do things, anyway. Which meant no fantasizing about sex while he spoke to her.

"Good afternoon," he hesitated for a moment as he recalled her name. "Abirshi, was it?" He didn't think he'd gotten her name right, but she'd probably correct him.  

[Feral Mule]

Her gait wasn't one that hobbled or anything like that, but it was confident if nothing else. Her head turned towards the voice that addressed her by name, which took her by surprise and she schooled her expression to one of a calm cheetah. She nodded her head towards the .....handsome cheetah. That was the only way she could describe him; he was very handsome indeed.

She'd never given her body in pleasure, unless that pleasure was friendly cuddling. It never, ever went past that. She didn't want it to go past that, either. Not until she was mated, or had her goal of Currency.

"It was Abhishri," she corrected him subtly. But that was fine, a lot of others got her name wrong. It was something she just lived with. "I do... not believe I know you. You've got me beat!" She gave a small laugh and a polite smile. Naturally, she was completely unaware that he'd caught her stretching her back legs like that.  

[Princess_Feylin]

Mana accepted the correction good-naturedly and was pleased that she was not one who got upset about mispronounced names. He'd seen her around, he thought, but it wasn't as though anyone had introduced them. What little he knew of her - and it was very, very little indeed - had been based on fragments of conversations overheard and pieced together. He disliked having incomplete information and tried not to think too much on them, which meant that he often met people for the first time knowing one or two things about them already. Sometimes - most times - it was their name, but not always. Unconsciously he tried to look at whatever he did know of a person in disparate terms until he felt he knew them well enough to put things together.

"Abhishri," he agreed, taking care with the pronunciation. He would not mistake her name again. He had a pretty good memory when he cared to exercise it, and remembering the name of pretty girls seemed like a good use for it.

"I apologize for my error, and I sincerely hope you'll forgive me." He smiled hopefully at her. The fact that she seemed interested in knowing his name was a good thing, though he wondered about her polite smile. Probably it was because she was an entertainer and he was an unknown quantity.

"My name's Mananakbo. Mana works just as well. You can call me whatever you wish, though." Again he grinned, this time there was more than a hint of play in his expression. "I'm no one special."

That last statement was both true and untrue. In terms of rank, he was not particularly important. He was a high grunt, but he had the feeling that if he desired a higher ranking it would be his for the asking. It suited him to be what he was, however. It granted him access to anywhere he might want to go, from the slave dens to those of royalty, and gave him a certain anonymity. Not that the anonymity would last. It wasn't any great secret that he and Nyoka spent a great deal of time in each other's company but were not lovers. It was his association with Nyoka which belied his statement.  

[Feral Mule]

Why would she be upset over a mispronounced name? Abhi didn't understand things like that. Some females were so picky about certain things. She looked him over again, up and down and gave him a playful looking smile. Oh, yes. He was just her type.

"Mana.... It is a strong name for one such as yourself. For no one special, you hold yourself like you are. Confident; like everything is yours for the taking. A cheetah with power, and that is a very attractive quality in a male, or a female." She masked her flirtations with a friendly laugh. While she could flirt with him out in the open, not everyone was receptive of such advancements in public. She shifted to stand next to him, motioning him to continue forward with a gentle movement of her head.

"Let me accompany you, Mana. Where is it you might be headed?" It was part of her occupation, after all, to accompany anyone that might want her attentions for the evening.  

[Princess_Feylin]

Mana's ears flattened briefly with dismayed embarrassment - the equivalent of a flush. He ducked his head and said, "It's just a name. It's not like I chose it or anything. If it suits me or doesn't is mostly luck."

His name did suit him, as it happened. It meant "runner," and if Mana was nothing else, he was most definitely a runner. There was nothing in the world he enjoyed half as much, except possibly sex. He also liked to be acknowledged as being superlative in his activities, and if he could get people to commend him on either of his two favorite activities his day was made. Complimenting his name, however, wasn't exactly the fastest way to win him over, since his name wasn't up to him, as he'd pointed out.

"Why shouldn't I be confident in myself? I'm alive and healthy, and from that kind of starting point anything is possible." That sort of optimist's philosophy wasn't exactly his usual, but that's because he left off two words at the end of his statement which would have made it much more typical. Those two words were "for me," and demonstrated just how prideful he truly was.

As Abhishri moved closer and indicated that they should walk, Mana acquiesced readily. He was still a little too high on the adrenaline and endorphins from a good run to be entirely happy conducting any conversation holding still. If she had wanted to remain stationary while they spoke, he probably would have found himself with a twitching tail or something like that.

"Don't fool yourself, though. I have no personal authority, except over low grunts and slaves. If someone such as yourself condescends to walk with me -" he smiled "- I am favored by fortune indeed. I wasn't headed anywhere in particular, however. Just cooling down after a run."  

[Feral Mule]

Oh, she knew flattery when she heard it, and she let a little bit of color rise to her cheeks. Of course, Abhi couldn't exactly stop the color, but she could will it away if she wanted too. In this situation, the cheetah decided it was fine how it was, added to her charm and near innocents.

"Being healthy and alive is something to be proud of, yes, but you have this air about you. An air that you should be higher in ranking than you are. You show humility, accepting the rank you are." She could gather what rank he was by how he spoke who he could order about. She guessed he'd be a high grunt. Which was not bad company. It was not too much below herself. Her ears flicked back and forth a minute before she started walking ahead.

Abhi knew it was best to stay moving, slowly slowing down after a run. It was horrible to just stop moving all together. "Well, we shall walk then. One such as myself isn't lowering herself any to talk to someone in your standing. It is about the same as mine, just in a different field."  

[Princess_Feylin]

Mana would never have admitted it, but he was susceptible to flattery, and it pleased him that Abhi had recognized something special about him. He smiled, thinking to himself that he had an air about him, and feeling very smug. The feeling didn't last very long, though, as he remembered that he was supposed to be blending in and not causing comment among the pride.

"Humility," he commented, "is not a virtue often attributed to me. If you see it, I think I will have to take the rest of what you see in me with a bit of suspicion."

He grinned, meaning that he wasn't doubting her honesty. Instead he wondered if, perhaps, she might have seen something which wasn't actually there. At any rate, it was all in good fun. It was also an unconscious attempt to elicit further compliments. He'd never been aware of that habit of his, but his ego benefited when it bore fruits a great deal.

"You could say that, I suppose, but I don't think too many people would go out of their way to watch me at my work." Which was just as well, given the sometimes clandestine nature of his jobs. "Even so, I would be glad of your company. It can only be good for me to be seen with you."  

[Feral Mule]

Flattery gets you everywhere in life. She'd learned that early on in her apprenticeship. Abhi let her blue eyes flicked about to the others in the pride as they passed, her head dipping a bit. It was all in her job to be kind and observant of others. It's how she would get noticed by more than one cheetah. She was kind of surprised, honestly, that she didn't see more of Bugie around. Ah, well. She wouldn't actively seek him out.

Then Mana started to speak, and her eyes were trained ahead of her, listening. "Oh, ho! I was thinking the same thing about you. It would only do me good to be seen in with a male with such power around him." She flashed him a smile and then blinked and looked around. Where were they headed, honestly? Abhi's tail twitched. She didn't like not knowing where they were headed, but neither had any clue where to go with their company.

It wasn't her job to say where to go. It was his. Walking was a nice change, she supposed. She caught herself before she headed into another lapse of conversation and mentally sighed. "Do people watch me? I'm not a Geisha yet. I'm really nothing more than an Entertainer training to become the best of the best. Like your position amongst the grunts, I want a high position amongst the Geisha. I've been told I come off as cold because of that."  

[Princess_Feylin]

Mana laughed, and when it subsided it left a grin behind.

"Aren't we quite the pair?" he said to Abhi. "Each of us stroking the other's ego. Given your elegance and my dashing good looks, someone who didn't know any better might think we were both entertainers practicing giving compliments."

He rolled his shoulders. The run had been good, and walking was helping to an extent, but unfortunately Abhi's flattery had made its way into his brain and gotten his juices flowing again. Once more he was beginning to feel the pull to be active and stretch himself. It took a stern reminder that he couldn't very well abandon Abhi and go running off just to satisfy the urge to do something.

"If you'll forgive me for continuing this little mutual adoration thing, I can assure you that people watch you." At least Mana kept finding his eyes sliding over to look at her, and he considered himself a cheetah with very good taste.

"I don't find you cold. And if mine is an air that says I have some sort of power, yours is one that says you are too good for the rest of us." He paused and then explained, "That's a good thing for a geisha. Being unattainable just makes people more interested in you. I don't know much about your line of work though."

It made sense to Mana, though, that the harder a person would seem to be to get, the more people would want to try. Abhi's supposedly cool attitude really could work in her favor. People would vie for her approval. But it probably wouldn't win her many friends among her peers. They might perceive her aloofness as haughtiness. Ah well, rivalries meant scandal and gossip, and those all added to a person's reputation he figured.  

[Feral Mule]

She listened and watched him closely. This had nothing to do with her training. Abhi was interested in Mana and his.... ego stroking, as he put it. He was a smart cheetah that wasn't trying to have his way with her. No, this was something else entirely. They were just talking, the way that friends would had they not been in their positions. It would appear as such to some, and as their being lovers to others.

"I doubt I want Geisha friendships. I find the others.... Well, let me just say I'd never use my body the way they use theirs. I think my body is for looking at unless feeling is involved. They let anyone use them. I think it reflects their personalities quite well. Flippant, childish, useless. After so many times, you become very intimate with the whole pride, and the whole pride knows it, then where is the joy in that? No. Geisha are conversationalists and dancers, painters, and mysteries." She gave him a sly looking smile before she paused to take in a breath.

"The only ones who know about our line of work are us. A Geisha's story should never be told. That adds to our mystery. When I retire from being one, perhaps I can spare you a story or two. ...That is, if you'd listen to an old, sick looking female when that time comes." She was talking a great deal, she knew. But Abhi couldn't help it. She felt so strongly against the use of her body for things that could be settled with either skills, or conversation. Getting a promotion that was was so stupid!

"I apologize for my little rant there. As I said, I don't need fellow Geisha friends. Nor do I really want them to understand me. If they do not like me, that is their problem and I will not worry myself about it."

Ah, how to release him so he could go about his way? Abhi knew he was itching to run again. A cheetah always stretched when they needed to be active. But how to do it gracefully?  

[Princess_Feylin]

Mana listened with his ears turned fully toward Abhi, interested in her take on being a geisha. He'd always been uncomfortable with the idea of females - and males, he supposed - who allowed others to take sexual pleasure with them for some sort of recompense. He had never contracted an entertainer's services for that sort of activity. Mostly he had them tell him stories so that he would sleep better at night and escape nightmares of the Mizimu'Tungika.

"Some people see it differently," he pointed out. "But I prefer your interpretation. It allows for more mystery and makes for better stories."

He grinned as Abhi continued, mentioning that maybe she would share some of her stories with him when she retired. "I like stories. Ask around. Most of the entertainers I've dealt with here have been asked to tell me stories. I'm afraid I was quite a nuisance early in my tenure here. Apparently entertainers don't gain fame or notoriety by something as mundane as storytelling."

He didn't mention that a number of them had hoped to benefit from his relationship with Nyoka, which had made him even more reluctant to pursue any sort of physical relationship. The only one that he had any sort of regular interaction with was Aiko, and she was different. Incredibly attractive, of course, but consumed with her own passions and desires, which he could tell were not for him. He preferred it to be all about him, all the time.

"Well, you may not need geisha friends, but if you don't mind befriending someone outside the profession, you might look to me. I'm a good listener, and I've been told that I'm not a bad companion either."  

[Feral Mule]

"I'll look to you when I feel like I need a friend, then.." She flashed him a teasing smile and gave a soft laugh before looking around. Actually, her resting area was near here and she was getting rather tired. This had been the opportunity she'd been looking for! Abhi bowed her head a bit and moved a bit a way from him before explaining herself.

"You see, Mana, my stop is right over there. I'm afraid I'll have to extract myself from your company for now. If ever you need a good story, I might have one or two. Just seek me out. I'm never too far." She bowed her head toward him once again and said another apology.

"I will see you around the pride, Mana."  

[Princess_Feylin]

Mana flashed her a brilliant grin. He thought she might mean it when she said she'd seek him out. Part of his grin came from just generally being pleased with himself for having won her over, but another part came because he thought he might have found himself another contact for information. It was always good to have multiple sources of information. That way a person could distill some semblance of truth from rumour.

"I'll just bid you good day, then," Mana said, inclining his head politely.

"And perhaps I will come pester you for a story sometime. I've needed them less lately, but if it gives me an excuse to see you again..." he trailed off and winked.

"Take care, Abhishri," he said. His flanks twitched with the desire to run and work off some of his excess energy and elation.